400. What Governs History?

Thanks for tuning in to 5 Minutes in Church History, I’m Steve Nichols. What you’re about to hear is one of my favorite episodes from our archives. We’re taking a short break from releasing new content, but we will be back with all new material in January 2023. Make sure you subscribe to the show so you won’t miss any favorites. I hope you enjoy this archival episode of 5 Minutes in Church History.

What governs history? Well, there have been various answers to this throughout history. I suppose some would say, "Well, nothing governs history. Everything is just open to chance. Who knows even how today is going to end." Others have said, "Well, fate determines all things." And we go back to Greek mythology and Roman mythology to understand fate. We find this in the writings of Homer and Hesiod.

The Fates were the three daughters of the goddess Nyx. She was the goddess of the night. And these three daughters, her three daughters, were the Fates. One of them would simply spin thread from a spindle. That's all she would do, just spin thread from a spindle. The second sister, the second Fate, would measure out a given piece of thread and that given piece of thread signified the length of a life. And the third sister? Well, she would cut the thread and that signified death. In Greek, her name literally means ‘the inevitable’. And in ancient mythology, even mighty Zeus had to bow to the Fates. They were independent. They were arbitrary. They were capricious and they governed all events of human history and all events of a single life.

This idea of the Fates carried on into the early Roman philosophers and they would talk about causality as a determining factor of all that happened in history and in a given life. Well, what is the Christian response to these two answers of nothing governs history or the Fates govern history? Well, we find a very fascinating answer in Archibald Alexander. He was one of those old Princetonian scholars and he lectured on theology, there at Princeton and one of his students was Charles Hodge. And Charles Hodge was a very diligent student and he took very careful, in cursive handwriting, notes of Archibald Alexander's lectures.

And so we have this preserved for us today in book form and Archibald Alexander is talking about the Doctrine of Providence. He sets it up by talking about fate and he explores how various Roman thinkers talked about fate. He talked about how Cicero spoke of the order or series of causes that governed all things. He talks about Seneca and how Seneca makes cause and fate an irrevocable necessity, controlling the course of both human and divine affairs, so that the supreme ruler is even governed by fate and continually obeys the fates and the causes.

Well, none of this is something Archibald Alexander wants us to believe in or think about. In fact, he says, "Ought Christians to retain and use the word fate?" And he answers, "Categorically no, because this is very inconsistent with the truth." So what does govern history? Well Archibald Alexander says, "Providence does." And here's what he has to say, "Does providence extend to all things, small as well as great? That is to say does providence govern human history and does it govern the events of my life?" He answers, "Yes, because God created all things and therefore he cares for all."

Archibald Alexander goes on to reference Nehemiah 9:6. And that text reads, "You, even you, are Lord alone. You've made heaven and the heavens of heavens and all their hosts. You've made the earth and all things that are in it and the sea and all that is in it. You preserve them all." And then he goes on to draw attention to such passages as Luke 12:7 or Matthew 10:29 or Matthew 6:28 or Psalm 147:9. We put all of that biblical material together and what do we find? Well, even the hairs of our heads are said to be numbered. The fowls of the air, the lilies of the field, even the insects are under the care of God.

So what governs history? Well first we could ask, who governs history? And the answer is God does. And then we can ask what? And we say, "His providence." God's providence governs all things and moves all things to the fruition and the fulfillment of His perfect, good and wise will. That's providence. And I'm Steve Nichols and thanks for listening to 5 Minutes In Church History.

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